Spirituality Of Darkness

Photography is a very spiritual and emotional form of expression. My best photographs have always been those that remind me of how I felt at the time I took the picture, for instance, if it was cold outside, does the picture make me feel my skin shivering. I like to use the camera, and post editing, as a way of capturing the “feeling” of the scene.

The scene for the pictures is a remote spot in the woods alongside a reservoir near my house. I choose to take the picture in the late evening/night (6:30-8:30pm) because of the effect darkness in the woods would have on my senses. Nightime in the woods is very spooky and noisy, I liken it “natures rush hour”. We live with our eyes, and as light is removed we have to begin thinking outside the box (I can’t see the lake, but how can I show people its there?). To further illustrate this face, I made a few notes about my surroundings for 5 minutes:

• woodpecker pecked twice,
• crickets cricketing
• birds flying
• birds singing
• wind blowing
• leaves rustling
• leaves falling
• trees swaying
• trees creaking
• trees groaning
• sun is falling
• sky darkening
• clouds passing
• a plane flew by

The three scenes should be viewed in order and are meant to capture the flow of emotions that I felt. That of peace with nature, fear of darkness, and finally appreciation of the beauty of a full moon reflecting on the lake. In addition it symbolizes the progression of our spirit in life: of wonder, fear of the unknown, and finally acceptance.

My first image is “Spirit Trees”. I chose to use this picture because its rather pleasant, and has a spiritual, oneness with nature, feel to it. I used a wide view, mid ISO, 1/3 second shutter speed, and post edited sepia and soft. The purpose of this photo is to capture the role that the trees play on the scene.

My second image is “Spinning Out of Control”. I chose this picture because it captures the emotional feeling of being in the woods as darkness takes over and you no longer have light to make you feel safe. I used a wide view, low ISO, 8 second exposure, and F2.8 aperature. I adjusted the tripod so the camera was pointing up, and then spun the camera in a circle while the shutter was open to give the feeling that the mind is spinning out of control. I softened the edges and shadows in post editing.

My third image is “Full Moon Rising”. I chose to use this picutre because it captures the beauty in the scene, and is meant to portray acceptance, accepting that even in darkness, light can still be found. For this picture I used a wide view, 8 second exposure and F2.8 aperature. I post edited the tint, softened the edges, and increased the brightness and shadows. Had my camera been capable, I would have used a 20-30 second exposure at low ISO.

Spirit Trees

Spinning Out Of Control

Full Moon Rising

EDIT: The story behind “Spinning out of control”:

I knew of a place a few miles deep into the woods where I could get some good photos for a college class in photography that I was taking. When I got to the spot, I couldn’t get the photos I wanted so after messing around for a while I decided to hike back to the car. Well, I thought that I would be ok because I had hike on the trail a few times before and understood the lay of the land. However, as the darkness started to fall, things started getting spooky. Emotion brings out the best in any artistic persuit, so I decided to take advantage of this fact and snap a few shots trying to convey the fact that I was starting to lose control.

Well, it started getting really dark and I could hardly see the trail ahead of me. This sounds pretty bad, but I was getting spooked by the squirrels (yes those cute little creatures with the long furry tails). They really freak me out when they start kicking up the leaves right next to you. I started going primal. This in itself is pretty scary because it really brings out the beast inside. I could feel all of the hair sticking up on my skin and my adrenaline was pumping really hard. I hiked through the woods like this for about an hour and it was such a rush.

For those of you interested in primal feelings, look up books on native american spirituality or Tom Brown.